Thursday, December 30, 2010

Humor: Blackberry Troubles

My friend from Ireland sent me this one (thanks, Peter!).

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Saturday, December 25, 2010

I Don't Have to Dream Today

...because I have a White Christmas!  It's amazing and beautiful.  Some of you may wonder why I'm so excited, but I don't remember having a real White Christmas before.  A few with dustings of snow, but there's about 3 inches on the ground.  

I'm at my brother's house in Athens, Alabama, which is about 15 miles south of the Tennessee border. 

i didn't listen to the weather, and had no idea there was a chance of snow.  My sister-in-law came into the den where I was reading and asked if I had looked outside, then drew back the curtains onto that beautiful scene.  The snow was still falling then.  It has stopped now, and melting rapidly, but for a few hours I've felt touched by Grace.... and literally, since the household here includes a cuddly dog named Grace.  :-)

Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday you celebrate.  May you and yours be blessed in the coming year.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Druids Celebrate the Winter Solstice at Stonehenge

...as they do every year.  Story has a photo slideshow and video. 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

9/11 First Responders Bill Passes Senate

Hooray!  It is a bit watered down, but still a great thing to help out the 9/11 first responders who have gotten ill since then.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Happy Sundog! - Loldogs, Dogs 'n' Puppy Dog Pictures - I Has A Hotdog!

2 reasons -
(1) It's a Corgi - Hi, Mark!
(2) What a terrific expression of joy!

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

why yes, - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger?

I am, actually, after a lovely Solstice ritual and fellowship.

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

ReadWriteWeb on the FCC Net Neutrality Rules

Paul Krugman on Government Employment

...which, despite the hype, has not seen sharp increases.  See his blog posts here and here.

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Public Opinion Poll on Creationism

Belief in Creationism is down, but still alarmingly high.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Seasonal Fun: Booklover's Carols

Part three, links at the bottom to parts one and two.  Christmas carols rewritten by a mystery author.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

For Parents: Best Websites for Kids

... from the American Library Associations Division  the Association for Library Services to Children.  List is updated every year.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Happy Solstice!

May all of you experience love and light as the Sun returns.  Ring out, Solstice bells!

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Lunar Eclipse Photos

Some terrific photos of last night's eclipse here.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Humor: Google Classic

In an alternate timeline, perhaps.  Reminds me of a popular saying for t-shirts, mugs, etc. marketed to librarians:  Librarians, the Original Search Engine.

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Monday, December 20, 2010

Jon Stewart's Outrage over Congressional Failure to Pass Relief for 9/11 Responders

As happy as I am over the DADT repeal, the failure of the bill to give releif to 9/11 responders is outrageous.  Jon Stewart does a great job of covering it, including that the major news outlets gave it no coverage at all.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Major Lunar Eclipse Tonight!

Just in time for the Solstice... Thanks, Anna!

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Celebrations of the Winter Solstice

Ok, so it's New York Times day.  Just a lot of fascinating stuff, like this article on how the Winter Solstice is celebrated across the world.

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Frank Rich on the No Labels Party

Excellent summary of the current political nightmare, IMHO.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Longfellow and Paul Revere's Ride

I love articles like this, that restore the context of a particular literary work.  Never knew before that Longfellow was an abolitionist, and that the poem was written at a time of the greatest danger to the nation.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) Repealed

Huzzah and hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (Yeah, I know I'm a little late on this, but didn't do news over the weekend).

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Friday, December 17, 2010

Myths about the Old South

The biggest of which is that other causes were as important in secession as slavery. 

Have I mentioned how much I hate the Old South, and particularly those who romanticize it?  I do, and I think all the more virulently for being a native Southerner.

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

United States of AutoComplete

Amusing map of what Google's autocomplete comes up with when typing in a state name.  I'm happy that for Georgia it is Georgia Tech.

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Study Shows Fox News Voters Most Misinformed of Those Who Listen to Major News Sources

See the TPM article which links to the study itself.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Great Cartoons: Five Sci-Fi Children's Books

Very amusing!  Since I've been watching a lot of Dr. Who lately, that one has to be my favorite for now.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Ikebana - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger?

Mashable: Top Ten Movies for the Modern Tech Geek

List focuses on film technology as well as the subject matter.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Bizarre Blashphemy

Blasphemy charges are always absurd, IMHO, though absurd may not be the right word when people are given the death penalty for it.  But the case Ed Brayton mentions is definitely bizarre.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Poem from Chinese Nobel Prize Winner

Strongly evocative of life from his experience.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

GO to Your ROOM! … NOW! - Daily Squee - Cute Baby Animals

A friend bought for me several pairs of holiday earrings, including a couple with penguins. So, all, I have to say is HAVE A VERY LINUX CHRISTMAS!

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

New Yorker Cartoons on Airport Security

A selection of 11 from 1938 on.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk?

I thought that sounded familiar, and this post has more information than you want to know about it.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Google Zeitgeist, Including Strangest Searches of the Year

Monday, December 13, 2010

Jane Austen and Social Media

Interesting article on young people and their liking for Jane Austen.  Especially noteworthy is Austenbook.

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Animals Singing a Christmas Song

Yes, it is too cute for words:

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Glenn Greenwald on Wikileaks

I'm not really sure how I feel about Wikileaks, but what I'm pretty sure of is that the story is not, for the most part, being covered honestly and fully in the media.  Greenwald thus provides a needed corrective and he has been intensively covering the story.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Humor site: Smugopedia

"Smugopedia is a collection of slightly controversial opinions about a variety of subjects. We offer you the chance to buy a fleeting sense of self-satisfaction at the small cost of alienating your friends and loved ones."

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Xbox Kinect

Wow!  I usually don't advertise products, but had no idea this kind of computing was possible now:

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Up From Homophobia

Ed Brayton excerpts from a narrative of someone who was anti-gay and grew out of it, and says this is a common experience.  It was for me as well.  I don't think I was ever strongly anti-gay, but didn't think it "natural".  One of my two best friends in high school came out to me as gay while I was in college and that started my path to acceptance.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Wikileaks Summary

Very creative video summarizing the most recentl Wikileaks release.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Win Prizes from Wolfram/Alpha with Fun Facts

See here for contest information.  Can win a copy of Mathematica, an iPad, etc.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Humor: Summary of Service Chiefs on DADT

Well HERE’S your problem! - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger?

Great T-shirt

Geek Cred

Are your geek credentials up-to-date?  See this list...

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Archaeology Goes 3D!

This looks really interesting.  I've loved archaelology since I was a little girl and knew an archaeologist who was willing to show me things he did.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Video to Inspire Librarians

Great video from David Lankes.  Librarians, go change the world!

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Computer with Invisibility Cloak?

Library of Congress and Wikileaks

I pretty much agree with Sarah Houghton-Jan on this one.  The Library of Congress is out-of-line.  I don't know enough about the legalities of the situation, though.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Health Hazards of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT)

Here is an aspect of DADT that never occurred to me...

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

More Gifts for the Geek

Another (short) list of gadgets for the geek.  Some good information on ebook readers, in particular.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Facts on the New START Treaty

from Ed Brayton.  Much of the older Republican establishment who have been involved in foreign policy fully support the treaty. 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Humor: Obama's Placationist Tendencies

He gives up his religion, still negotiating his birthplace.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Another Reason to Dislike the Iranian Regime

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Rosa Parks Ride

I'm a little late in posting this.  The 55th anniversary of Rosa Park's ride was Dec. 1st.  This post gives some interesting background that one doesn't see that often.  She mentions that Mrs. Parks was part of a group that had been trained in passive resistance and had visited the Highlander Folk School, where a number of people worked on ideas for improving the civil rights situation of blacks.  Highlander was run by Myles Horton, a labor organizer for many years and a fascinating person in his own right.  I read his autobiography, The Long Haul.

Rosa Parks is a hero, and I celebrate her memory.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Interesting Post: Gender Bias, Sexism, and the Science Cheerleaders

An interesting post that links to another interesting post.  Makes good points about discrimination and how hard it is to get around the way society ingrains it into us.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Test Your Political IQ

A Pew Research Poll.  I got 12 of 12 correct, which is better than 99% of responders.  I strongly believe an informed citizenry is the backbone of democracy.

 

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Monday, December 6, 2010

James Madison on the Concept of Property

Ed Brayton has an interesting quote from Madison in which he includes as property civil rights. .

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Bill Maher on Fareed Zakaria

Maher, in this video, is articulate in presenting the liberal view:

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Facts about Federal Worker Salaries

FactCheck.org has done a detailed analysis of the facts over whether federal government workers are overpaid or underpaid, and find that both sides of the debate distort the facts.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Friday, December 3, 2010

Random Hacks of Kindness

...is a global contest to create code for products useful in helping responders to natural disasters.  Terrific idea!

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

A.O. Scott on Leslie Neilsen

I enjoyed Leslie Neilsen quite a lot in both his serious roles (especially Forbidden Planet) and his humorous roles.  Scott captures his abilities nicely.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Both Sides Are Not Equal

This article by the columnist Wayne Besen points out once again an issue that has concerned me for a long time: in the media's zeal to present "both sides of an issue" they often present information that is not credible, but fail to point that out.

 

Posted via email from reannon's posterous

Gifts for Geeks

2 on the Holidays for Parents

Both from Neat New Stuff:

  • 20 Safety Tips for Decorating with Toddlers and Babies
    http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2357292/20_
    safety_tips_for_christmas_decorating.html

    Tips on decorating while protecting your children from the trouble their natural curiosity can get them into. You'll be surprised at how dangerous some harmless-looking decorations can be.
  • Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2010 - New York Times
    http://events.nytimes.com/gift-guide/holiday-2010/best-
    illustrated-childrens-books-2010/list.html?ref=books

    Great children's books are wonderful gifts, because when they strike a chord, the child will read them over and over. See also Publishers' Weekly's Best Children's Books of 2010,
    <http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/
    childrens-book-news/article/45090-pw-s-best-children-s-books-2010.html
    >

     

     

     

    Posted via email from reannon's posterous